Internet criticises Brandon Gill for racist remark on Zohran Mamdani eating with hands
Civilized people in America don't eat like this.
If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World. https://t.co/TYQkcr0nFE — Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) June 30, 2025
The comment drew sharp criticism online, with many social media users labeling it racist. Critics also highlighted the irony, pointing to Gill's Indian-origin wife, Danielle D'Souza Gill, and her father, conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza, who was born and raised in India.
Brandon Gill's father-in-law Dinesh D'Souza was born and raised in India and has definitely eaten with his hands.
Is he going to ask his father-in-law to leave the US too? https://t.co/qYPjE5hrQO pic.twitter.com/LrWk1Pm2pW — Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) June 30, 2025
Photos soon resurfaced showing Gill's in-laws eating with their hands at a restaurant. 'If you're going to be racist against Indians, don't go marrying one,' a viral post read. Other users mocked Gill's apparent discomfort with eating by hand, asking how he consumes foods like pizza, tacos, or fried chicken—typically eaten without utensils.
Meanwhile here's a pic of Brandon Gill's father-in-law about to dig into Indian food with roti.
One thing's for sure, his FIL is uncivilized af. pic.twitter.com/vGgqzWo2HJ — junglegsus (Mustafa) (@Junglegsus) June 30, 2025
In response to the growing criticism, Danielle D'Souza Gill publicly defended her husband. 'I did not grow up eating rice with my hands and have always used a fork,' she said. 'I was born in America. I'm a Christian MAGA patriot. My father's extended family lives in India and they are also Christian and they use forks too.'
Zohran Mamdani, the son of Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair, is a self-described socialist. He recently defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary. If elected, Mamdani would become New York City's first Muslim mayor.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Pivoting between geopolitics and geo-economics
Listen to article When Field Marshal Asim Munir walked out of the White House after the recent luncheon with President Trump, it was apparent that the Pak-US relationship was taking another tactical shift. This relationship has seen numerous highs and lows in the past. However, the recent war-like situation between Pakistan and India and President Donald Trump's role in the ceasefire have unfolded events unexpectedly. Lately, Pakistan seems to have navigated its relations well with both the US and China. The country now stands at a crossroads: whether to continue with a familiar path of transactional geopolitics or commit to geo-economics as mentioned in the National Security Policy (2022-2026). Not long ago, Pakistan was almost written off for its strategic importance by the policymakers in Washington, DC, after the fall of Kabul. From being a close ally, Pakistan had overnight become almost insignificant for the Biden administration to give a call back to the Pakistani authorities or even to get a mention in the US's National Security Strategy. So much so that Pakistan had to go through tougher conditions while seeking bailout packages from the IMF and was subject to harsher rhetoric. Nevertheless, the situation has changed significantly after the Indo-Pak military clash of May 2025. On April 22, 2025, a terrorist incident resulted in 26 tourists losing their lives in Pahalgam. Reports also claim that this attack was religiously motivated. Such a tragedy deserves utmost condemnation, and those responsible must be punished for their brutal actions. India's knee-jerk response was that Pakistan was somehow behind this attack, and therefore, the decades-long Indus Water Treaty, which had survived through the worst of the Indo-Pak relations, was suspended. Subsequently, India also launched a series of attacks on several Pakistani cities on the pretext of targeting the terrorist hideouts only. For the next two days, the situation between India and Pakistan remained extremely tense. Both attacked each other's multiple military facilities and neutralised drone incursions, while Pakistan, with the help of Chinese technology, downed multiple Indian fighter jets. Eventually, mediated by the US, both countries reached a ceasefire agreement, but the threat still looms as PM Modi has insisted that Operation Sindoor will continue if there is any other terrorist attack in India. Whether keeping South Asian peace a hostage with such statements is good or bad, one thing is clear: after the ceasefire, Pakistan's profile on the international political front has witnessed a significant rise, something totally against New Delhi's policy of isolating Pakistan internationally. Post-ceasefire, Pakistan's relations with China have reached new highs. For Pakistan, China has emerged as one dependable partner. China, on the other hand, fully supported Pakistan's retaliation against Indian attacks. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated that Pakistan is an "ironclad friend" and vowed to deepen the "all-weather strategic cooperative partnership." It must also be noted that the use of Chinese defence technology appeared as free marketing, since after the ceasefire, China's defense stocks have surged. Presently, what still remains a matter of concern for both is the security of Chinese personnel and investments in CPEC. Pakistan, therefore, must ameliorate threats from sub-nationalist movements. Pakistan's relations with the US have also taken a stark turnabout. President Trump has taken the credit for the ceasefire a number of times, although India, the US's most allied ally in South Asia, has refuted such claims repeatedly. He then offered to mediate for the long-overdue Kashmir issue, again upsetting India. And lately, the US Department of State issued a travel advisory to "exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism." All these developments, along with President Trump's invitation to Field Marshal Asim Munir, have left the Indian side quite disgruntled. Many argue that the lunch meeting was also crucial because of the Israel-Iran conflict, but whatever the reason may be, Pakistan must be in a state of euphoria over these happenings. One must also recall that Pakistan has served as US strategic partner in the past. During the Cold War, Pakistan was an active member of the capitalist camp against communism in South Asia; it played a crucial role against the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan; and it was the US strategic partner during the war on terror. But as denoted appropriately, the Pak-US relationship has remained 'transactional' in nature, and Pakistan has repeatedly complained of being abandoned as soon as US interests change. Following the same pattern, Pakistan was cast off after the fall of Kabul in 2021, too. Hence, it must remain wary in the future as well. Considering the post-ceasefire events, Pakistan may again be lured to find solutions to its internal and external crises in forming strategic partnerships, especially with the US. Previously, Pakistan has leveraged its geographical location for geopolitical gains, but apart from temporary relief, it has only guided towards much deep-rooted problems. The country gravely suffers from growing poverty, economic inequality, policy discontinuity, unemployment, poor education and healthcare facilities, etc. The current situation presents Pakistan with a dilemma: whether it would keep using its strategic advantage for temporary gains or realise the vision of geo-economics that the country's National Security Policy introduced in January 2022. Becoming a melting pot for global economic interests through strengthening regional connectivity and development partnerships will help Pakistan address its structural problems related to non-traditional security aspects. Additionally, it will also ensure that the country has enough resources in the pool to improve its traditional security apparatus. Certainly, now this is more important because Operation Sindoor is not over yet. Pakistan needs to build its economic muscle against India, which is reportedly set to become the fourth-largest economy in the world. It is also arguably correct that the path to geo-economics will be long, and considering the world today, which has almost become a war theater, Pakistan will have additional hindrances when anchoring geographic location for economic benefits. Nonetheless, with the alternate strategy, Pakistan has tried and failed again and again, and not changing the approach will not help address the deep-rooted structural issues the country has been suffering from since its inception in 1947.
Business Recorder
3 hours ago
- Business Recorder
X, India spar over lawyer's ‘Tom, Dick, and Harry' remark for government officials
NEW DELHI: A lawyer for Elon Musk's X told an Indian court on Tuesday that every 'Tom, Dick, and Harry' government official had been authorised to issue content takedown orders, drawing a sharp rebuke from New Delhi's counsel in the latest clash over content moderation. X has long been at loggerheads with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government over content removal requests. The remarks were made during a hearing on the U.S. firm's challenge to a government-run website it says is a 'censorship portal' that allows officials to issue content removal orders. New Delhi says the website is only to swiftly notify companies of their due diligence obligations. India is a critical growth market for X owner Musk, who is getting closer to launching his other key ventures Starlink and Tesla in the country. Top Indian court scraps JSW Steel's bid to acquire Bhushan Power, case lawyers say During the court hearing, X's lawyer, K. G. Raghavan, said it recently received a notice from the railways department to remove a video in which a car was being driven on a railway track. That was news, but the government found it unlawful, he told the court. 'This is the danger, My Lord, that is done now, if every Tom, Dick, and Harry officer is authorised,' Raghavan told the high court in the southern state of Karnataka. The phrase drew immediate condemnation from India's Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who said 'officers are not Tom, Dick, or Harry … they are statutory functionaries'. 'No social media intermediary can expect completely unregulated functioning,' Mehta said. India's IT ministry and X did not respond to Reuters queries. In 2021, X, formerly called Twitter, was locked in a stand-off with the Indian government over non-compliance with legal orders to block certain tweets. It later complied, but is still locked in a court fight related to the move.
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Bessent says US trade deal with India is very close
The U.S. and India are nearing a deal to lower tariffs on American imports to the South Asian country and to help India avoid levies imposed by the Trump administration rising sharply next week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday. 'We are very close with India,' Bessent told Fox News in response to a question about progress on trade negotiations. Indian officials extended a visit to Washington last week through Monday to try to reach agreement on a trade deal with President Donald Trump's administration and address lingering concerns on both sides, Indian government sources told Reuters. India is one of more than a dozen countries actively negotiating with the Trump administration to try to avoid a steep spike in tariff rates on July 9, when a 90-day tariff pause ends. India could see its new 'reciprocal' tariff rate rise to 27% from the current 10%. The U.S.-India talks have hit roadblocks over disagreements on import duties for auto components, steel, and farm goods, ahead of Trump's deadline to impose reciprocal tariffs. India to finalise interim trade deal with US as early as this week, FT reports 'We are in the middle – hopefully more than the middle – of a very intricate trade negotiation,' Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told an event in New York on Monday. 'Obviously, my hope would be that we bring it to a successful conclusion. I cannot guarantee it, because there's another party to that discussion,' said Jaishankar, who is in the a meeting of the China-focused Quad grouping. He added that there 'will have to be give and take' and the two sides will have to find middle ground. Bessent told Fox News that different countries have different agendas for trade deals, including Japan, which Trump complained about on Monday. But Bessent added that career trade negotiators are impressed with the offers that countries are making to the U.S. 'People who have been at Treasury, at Commerce, at USTR for 20 years, are saying that these are deals that they have never seen before,' Bessent said. So far, only Britain has negotiated a limited trade deal with the Trump administration, accepting a 10% U.S. tariff on many goods, including autos, in exchange for special access for aircraft engines and British beef.
